#GIRLSVOICES: Studying for Success

A day in the life of a young leader in the Netherlands

Everyone is always complaining about the weather in the Netherlands. According to people it rains about 90% of the time in our country. Except this year, when it was really sunny at the beginning of autumn. In the picture, my classmates, Ajla and Sakar, and I were enjoying the sun between two of our classes. It is always nice to get some extra vitamin D!

Here you can see my school. At the moment I am in my final year of a bachelor’s degree in public management. Over the past few years I have learnt a lot about the government and policymaking. I also learnt a lot about myself and I met many nice and inspiring people. I will find it a little hard to say goodbye after this year. I am really going to miss everything and everyone. I am even going to miss getting up early and having a lot of homework.

Over the past three years our class grew really close. My classmates and I often get a drink after school at our campus cafe. Especially after political philosophy class, it is nice to discuss the things that we were told during the lectures. Reading books that were written in past decades by different philosophers made me realise that the world hasn’t changed much during those years. Of course, travelling became easier and we have a lot more technology but many questions those philosophers had are also relevant for our time.

Six months ago I joined the Girls’ Rights Watch. In the picture I am with two other members, Rudy and Sophie. The Girls’ Rights Watch is an initiative of Plan in the Netherlands whose main goal is creating awareness of girls’ rights among politicians and policymakers worldwide. Just before this picture was taken, we had an important meeting with one of the leaders of a political youth group in the Netherlands. I love being part of the Girls’ Rights Watch because it gives me the chance to create a change in our society together with others.

I met Jennifer six years ago during high school. We became friends instantly. At the moment she is studying in another part of the Netherlands so we don’t see each other very often, but we are trying to meet regularly. I think Jennifer is a really good example of a powerful woman. She is really motivated when it comes to school and she works really hard to create a bright future for herself. Besides that she is just an amazing person.

When this photo was taken, I was studying with my friends Jantine and Eddie at our school. I don’t have a lot of classes during my graduation year, but that doesn’t mean that I have nothing to do! It is nice to study with other people so you can motivate each other. And it is also a lot more fun!